Clothes-pin.



I. H. GAMBLE.

CLOTHES PIN.

APPLICATION FILED DIJO.30.1913.

1 ,1 17,880, Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PE TERS (70.. PHOTO urnor. WASHINu Jun 1* JAMES H. GAMBLE, OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN.

CLOTHES-PIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Application filed December 30, 1913. Serial No. 809,558.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. GAMBLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes- Pins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in clothes pins and has for its primary object the provision of a pin which embodies a positive locking member whereby to pre vent the accidental displacement of an article held upon a clothes line thereby.

In its broader phase, the pin comprehended by my invention comprises a body member with which a presser member is operatively connected and which 1ast-mentioned member carries a penetrating member adapted to be actuated by the presser member and to cooperate with the body member in interlocking an article suspended from a line thereon. It is further contemplated that the body member aforesaid may act as a frictional pin while the presser member in its cooperation therewith serves as an auxiliary spring pin, the device performing a three-fold function, as will be more clearly understood as this description proceeds.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, this invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device constructed in accordance with my invention and showing in dotted lines the inoperative position assumed by the presser member when using the clothes pin as a friction pin. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, parts being broken away to show more clearly the application of my invention in securing articles on a line. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the spring member connecting the presser member with the clothes pin body. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention.

Throughout the following detail description, and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

Specifically describing the preferred embodiment of my invention the numeral 1 designates the clothes pin body or shank term nating at its lower portion in spaced friction gripping members 2 and 2 which construction forms the main portion of my devlce. Operatively connected to the body portion 1 is a presser member 3 which is adapted to cooperate with the main portion of the pin in an advantageous manner hereinafter more fully described. The presser member is connected to the body portion 1 by means of a spring t formed so as to con stitute a pivot and normally to hold the presser member 3 in a position cooperating with the friction gripping member 2. This spring 4 (most clearly seen in Fig. 3) is bent so as to form the horizontal intermediate portion l constituting the pivot for the presser member 3 and at each side the spring wire is bent at angles to this horizontal porlZIOH lSO form the guide loops 4 and l extending in opposite directions. The end portions of the spring member are bent downwardly and the extremities bent inwardly at right angles to the downwardly extending portions. The spring as thus de scribed is disposed upon the clothes pin as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2 with the extremities of the wire lying in slots 5 and 5 of the presser member 3 and the friction gripping member 2 respectively. It will be observed that the loops 4 and 4 are disposed against the sides of the presser member 3 and the body portion 1 of the clothes pin respectively, and this particular disposition prevents any lateral displacement of the two members with respect to each other, serving also as guides in operation of the presser member as now to be described.

Secured to the presser member fixedly at one end and extendin inwardly therefrom is a penetrating mcmber or pin (3 which in its normal position shown in Figs. 1. and 2 extends through an opening 7 in the friction gripping member 2 and into a similar opening 7 in the friction gripping member 2. The upper adjacent surfaces of the presser member 3 and the body portion 1 of the clothes pin are beveled off in an upward direction which permits movement of the member 3 when pressure is exerted against the upper extremity of the same. The contiguous surfaces of the lower portions of the presser member 3 and the friction gripping member 2 are also grooved as indicated at 8 so as to form proper gripping surfaces and prevent the pushing outwardly of an article inserted between these elements.

In describing the operation of the device forming my invention it will be understood that the pin is adapted to be disposed upon a clothesline 9 after a manner shown clearly in Fig. 2, upon which line an article of clothing or the like indicated by the numeral 10 is placed. The line is introduced into this position by pressing on the mem-' her 3 and withdrawing the penetrating pin 6 until the point is retracted into the opening of the friction gripping element 2 and releasing the member 3 will permit the pin 6 to pass through the article 10 beneath the line 9 thereby interlocking the line in its position between the gripping members 2 and 2 This interlocking position is particularly advantageous where the article to be suspended from the line is heavy such as a blanket, or the like, and the interlocking action described prevents the displacement of this article especially if it is disturbed by action of the wind.

As will be noted from the drawings the friction gripping member 2 acts as a guard for the point of the penetrating member 6 when this member is in its normal position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It is also advantageous to protect delicate fabrics when they are being dried as much as possible and the particular construction of my clothes pin enables this to be readily accomplished. The presser member 3 cooperates with the friction gripping member 2 so as to form an auxiliary clamping element and when desired a light or delicate fabric 11 may be inserted between these members so as to be suspended from the line directly adjacent the heavy article 10. Aside from the advantage just mentioned it will be obvious that the clothes pin may be used either as a friction pin alone or as a spring actuated pin by the particular formation of the same. Assuming that it is desired to use the pin as a friction pin only the presser member 3 may be secured in an abnormal position with the pin 6 withdrawn from the friction gripping members 2 and 2 and its penetrating point housed by the former by moving a pivoted loop member 12 over the upper extremity of said member 3 and which loop member is connected to the upper extremity of the member 1. This loop is useful when suspending blue prints or the like from a nail. Fig. 1 also shows the use of the pin as a spring pin in which case an article of clothing may be secured to a line 13 between the presser member 3 and the gripping member 2. The advantage of disposing the penetrating or safety member 6 so as to extend through the opening 7 and 7 will be obvious to those skilled in this art since such a disposition prevents likelihood of bending :of the pin under weight of the garment or bent downwardly in spaced relation to the pin and horizontally, passing through openings 7 in the members 2 and 2 being bentdownwardly again and backwardly to form the piercing point 3 extending into the openings '7. just described will be obvious. Pressure against the upper loop of the wire will cause the penetrating point 3 to be withdrawn from the pin at one side into the other side which houses or guards the point in order to permit of the insertion of the line be tween the members 2 and 2 when release of pressure thereupon will permit the point to pass through the article disposed'upon The operation of the pin as 1? the line in order to accomplish the interlocking action hereinbefore described with respect to the preferred form. 3

It will be obvious on reference to the dotted lines of Fig. 1 that the operating or presser member 3 limits the withdrawal of I the penetrating point of the member 6, so that it is drawn into housed position in the element 2, by cooperation of the upper extremity with the beveled surface of the upper portion of the body 1. This same action is also present in the modified form shown in Fig. i, the point being housed by the leg 2 in normal position and movable into a similar position in leg 2*, as hereinbefore described the upper loop portion of the presser member 3 limiting the movement of this member by contacting with the side of the pin body 1 so that the point, will remain housed in the leg 2 in the abnormal position.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new is:

1. A clothes pin comprising in combination, a body member terminating in spaced gripping elements, a movable penetrating member having a penetrating portion, the end of said portion housed by one of the gripping elements aforesaid when in it's normal position,' and operating means for said penetrating portion adapted to limit I movement of the latter so that the end of said penetrating portion is housed'by the other gripping element when moved out of its normal position.

2. A clothes pin comprising a body mem ber formed with gripping elements, a presser member connected to the body member and forming an auxiliary gripping element, a penetrating member carrier by the presser member and normally extending into the body gripping elements, and means for holding said presser member in a position with the penetrating member Withdrawn from a gripping member.

3. A clothes pin comprising a body member formed With spaced friction gripping members, a spring presser member connected to the body member and cooperating therewith to form an auxiliary spring gripping element, a penetrating member secured to the presser member and extending into the friction gripping members aforesaid for interlocking an article received be tween the friction gripping members, and means for holding said presser member in a position with the penetrating member Withdrawn from one of the friction gripping members aforesaid, the other of said gripping members forming a guard for the point of the penetrating member in said Withdrawn position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES H. GAMBLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

